Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department issued guidance to Gatwick Airport Limited on reducing the number of daily flights from 900 to 825 per day.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The decision taken by Gatwick airport to reduce the number of daily flights throughout the summer is a commercial decision taken by Gatwick Airport Limited, who will continue to work with their airline partners to operationalise this cap. We have been clear with the aviation sector that they need to ensure they can service the flights they offer to the passengers.
This Government has always prioritised consumer rights and is continuing to make progress, to that end we have published the Aviation Consumer Policy Reform Consultation on 31 January, this is aimed at strengthening further air passenger rights and are publishing an Aviation Passenger Charter. Airlines are under an obligation to provide information to passengers on their rights in the event of a cancellation. In the event that a flight is cancelled where UK law applies, the consumers should be offered the choice between a refund within 7 days, or to be re-routed on similar conditions to their final destination, and they may be eligible for compensation.
We have been clear with airlines that they need to undertake this process as quickly as possible.
The Secretary of State and I regularly meet with the aviation sector. In addition to these regular meetings, Gatwick joined me and the Secretary of State on 1 June to discuss disruption over the Half Term and they have been a central member of the Strategic Risk Group which I chair weekly, and the Summer Resilience Group chaired by my officials weekly. Additionally, senior officials have been meeting regularly with Gatwick over the past month and this will continue over the summer.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the (a) number and (b) dates of meetings that Ministers in his Department have had with senior staff at Gatwick Airport Limited in the last month.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The decision taken by Gatwick airport to reduce the number of daily flights throughout the summer is a commercial decision taken by Gatwick Airport Limited, who will continue to work with their airline partners to operationalise this cap. We have been clear with the aviation sector that they need to ensure they can service the flights they offer to the passengers.
This Government has always prioritised consumer rights and is continuing to make progress, to that end we have published the Aviation Consumer Policy Reform Consultation on 31 January, this is aimed at strengthening further air passenger rights and are publishing an Aviation Passenger Charter. Airlines are under an obligation to provide information to passengers on their rights in the event of a cancellation. In the event that a flight is cancelled where UK law applies, the consumers should be offered the choice between a refund within 7 days, or to be re-routed on similar conditions to their final destination, and they may be eligible for compensation.
We have been clear with airlines that they need to undertake this process as quickly as possible.
The Secretary of State and I regularly meet with the aviation sector. In addition to these regular meetings, Gatwick joined me and the Secretary of State on 1 June to discuss disruption over the Half Term and they have been a central member of the Strategic Risk Group which I chair weekly, and the Summer Resilience Group chaired by my officials weekly. Additionally, senior officials have been meeting regularly with Gatwick over the past month and this will continue over the summer.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment on the impact of the proposed rail strikes on the tourism industry in each region of England.
Answered by Wendy Morton
Despite the industry’s efforts, we expect the rail strikes to be extremely disruptive, and advise passengers to avoid travelling unless necessary.
A reduced rail timetable will be operated on strike days, which can be resourced within existing constraints. This is likely to have an adverse impact on the tourism industry, but it will provide passengers, and especially our key workers, with certainty around which services are running so they can plan their journeys confidently.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that the needs of visually impaired people are taken into account when designing regulation of e-scooters.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
E-scooters cannot currently be used on the pavement and we do not expect this to change. As the Government considers regulations for construction and use of e-scooters, we will continue to engage with stakeholders representing the needs of blind and visually impaired people. Additionally, we have instructed all local authorities participating in trials to engage with disability groups in their areas throughout the trial period to ensure their concerns are being heard.
We will consult publicly before any new arrangements come into force, and all interested parties will have a chance to shape the new regime.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the (a) number and (b) dates of times ministers in his Department have met with officials at the RMT union since 13 May 2022.
Answered by Wendy Morton
There have be no meetings between ministers and officials at the RMT union to discuss rail matters since 13 May 2022. The Minister for Aviation, Maritime and Security met with industry stakeholders, including the RMT, to discuss the seafarer protection nine-point plan on 9 June.
The rail disputes are between individual employers and the trade unions and it would not be prudent for Government to intervene in this relationship. We encourage meaningful discussions and for the trade unions to return to the negotiating table in order to end these rail strikes which impact businesses, users and the general public.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 21 March 2022 to Question 141263 on Motor Vehicles: Testing, what estimate he has made of the initial MOT failure rate for (a) diesel, (b) petrol, (c) plug-in hybrids and (d) battery electric vehicles in each of the last five years, by age of vehicle.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The tables below show the initial failure rate for all MOT vehicle classes from Class 1 (small motorcycles) up to and including Class 7 (goods vehicles between 3,000kg and 3,500kg). It is possible that some older vehicles have had the fuel system converted.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency does not hold data to differentiate between hybrid vehicles that are Plug-In, and those which are not.
Diesel Year | 3-5 Years | 6-10 Years | 11-20 Years | 21-40 Years | Over 41 Years |
2017 | 20.17% | 34.99% | 48.25% | 45.10% | 29.15% |
2018 | 19.76% | 34.44% | 47.40% | 44.80% | 27.89% |
2019 | 18.58% | 32.35% | 45.92% | 43.67% | 25.35% |
2020 | 17.92% | 30.39% | 44.08% | 42.40% | 24.49% |
2021 | 17.26% | 28.60% | 43.44% | 42.78% | 24.39% |
Petrol Year | 3-5 Years | 6-10 Years | 11-20 Years | 21-40 Years | Over 41 Years |
2017 | 16.21% | 32.09% | 45.30% | 33.46% | 21.02% |
2018 | 15.92% | 31.29% | 44.83% | 32.85% | 20.05% |
2019 | 14.94% | 29.17% | 43.58% | 32.45% | 19.67% |
2020 | 14.47% | 27.20% | 41.83% | 32.47% | 18.81% |
2021 | 13.11% | 25.14% | 40.85% | 32.51% | 19.73% |
Hybrid Year | 3-5 Years | 6-10 Years | 11-20 Years | 21-40 Years | Over 41 Years |
2017 | 15.43% | 25.18% | 31.24% | 0.00% | 0.00%* |
2018 | 14.94% | 25.41% | 31.86% | 25.00% | 0.00% |
2019 | 13.50% | 23.01% | 30.89% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
2020 | 12.74% | 20.26% | 30.00% | 50.00% | 0.00% |
2021 | 11.87% | 18.10% | 29.51% | 49.37% | 50.00% |
* Denotes that no vehicles were presented for test
Electric (Battery) Year | 3-5 Years | 6-10 Years | 11-20 Years | 21-40 Years | Over 41 Years |
2017 | 15.60% | 22.38% | 35.49% | 27.27% | 31.25% |
2018 | 16.40% | 23.15% | 31.59% | 32.56% | 28.47% |
2019 | 16.53% | 24.25% | 32.04% | 24.49% | 25.89% |
2020 | 14.92% | 23.72% | 29.78% | 18.87% | 20.45% |
2021 | 13.67% | 23.79% | 27.01% | 28.92% | 22.70% |
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made a comparative assessment of the particulate pollution produced by (a) tyre wear and (b) exhaust fumes; and whether his Department plans to take to steps tackle particulate pollution from tyre wear.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The development of regulations to limit emissions from tyre wear depends on the development of an internationally recognised test procedure for measuring them. This issue is being examined by the UN ECE Particle Measurement Programme (PMP), which includes DfT officials, other international governments, and the automotive industry. DfT is one of the founders of PMP and has played a leading role since its inception.
To support the work of the PMP group, DfT commissioned a 3-year research project in February 2021 aimed at understanding better the measurement techniques, material properties and control parameters of non-exhaust emissions from road vehicles, which include tyre wear emissions. The findings of this project will also enable a comparative assessment of the particulate emitted by tyre wear in real driving conditions and exhaust fumes.
This project will inform policy and legislation aiming at reducing these emissions on a domestic and international level.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to introduce regulations on (a) the wear rate of and (b) chemicals contained within tyres.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The development of regulations to limit emissions from tyre wear depends on the development of an internationally recognised test procedure for measuring them. This issue is being examined by the UN ECE Particle Measurement Programme (PMP), which includes DfT officials, other international governments, and the automotive industry. DfT is one of the founders of PMP and has played a leading role since its inception.
To support the work of the PMP group, DfT commissioned a 3-year research project in February 2021 aimed at understanding better the measurement techniques, material properties and control parameters of non-exhaust emissions from road vehicles, which include tyre wear emissions. The findings of this project will also enable a comparative assessment of the particulate emitted by tyre wear in real driving conditions and exhaust fumes.
This project will inform policy and legislation aiming at reducing these emissions on a domestic and international level.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing fines for car idling.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Department does not consider that increasing fine levels would be a suitable way to reduce the numbers to drivers idling unnecessarily. We believe there are other effective ways of influencing driver behaviour and increasing public awareness of the damaging air quality impact of unnecessary idling. Local Authorities should utilise a range of methods to encourage motorists to change their behaviour, including public information campaigns.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing two factor authentication for the booking of driving tests.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is committed to ensuring its driving test booking system is the safest and fairest way to book a driving test. A two factor authentication for the booking of driving tests is not currently part of the requirement to access the booking system; however, the DVSA is modernising its systems and exploring options to strengthen its booking process.